The present invention relates to a fluid pump which can be constructed to operate either as a suction pump or as a compressor. The invention is particularly useful in suction pump assemblies for drawing off waste fluids, for example in medical applications, and is therefore described below with respect to such application.
Many constructions have been developed for fluid pumps particularly useful in medical applications for drawing off waste fluids. Examples of such pumping devices are described in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,726,745 and 5,116,206. The fluid pump described in the first patent is based on the use of a rolling diaphragm; whereas the pump described in the second patent utilizes a piston reciprocated within a cylinder.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid pump which may be constructed of a few relatively simple parts and which can be produced and assembled in volume and at relatively low cost. Another object of the invention is to provide a suction pump assembly including the novel fluid pump and also a liquid collection container to be attached to the fluid pump. A further object is to provide a liquid collection container of a novel construction providing a number of important advantages.